Modified Chess Game

ABSTRACT

Apparatus and method of a variation of the game of chess are shown and described. The playing board is conventional. Playing pieces have two exposable faces including an initial face concealing identity of that playing piece, and a subsequently exposed face identifying identity of that playing piece. Initially, all playing pieces occupy conventional starting positions on the board, but with the face concealing identity visible to the players. The king is an exception, and is identified and placed in the conventional position for a king. Initial moves by each playing piece have move characteristics of that playing piece which conventionally occupies its space on the board. Upon completion of a first move, the face identifying identity of the playing piece is exposed. Moves subsequent to the initial moves have move characteristics of playing pieces identified by exposing the identity. The game may then be played according to conventional rules.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to games, and more particularly, to a modified form of the game of chess.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Chess is a game of skill wherein players may be at vastly different levels of skill. Games between players of different levels are less appealing to players both with greater skill and with less skill. This discourages games between players with disparate skill levels. There exists a need for a mechanism to bring parity to the game of chess, to thereby re-establish enjoyment of games between players of different skill levels.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention modifies the conventional game of chess in the following manner Chess playing pieces are placed in a conventional arrangement on a conventional chess board. However, the playing pieces have an initial unidentified face, and a second face displaying an identity (i.e., pawn, rook, knight, bishop, queen, or king). Initially, the unidentified face is visible to the chess players, and the identified face is concealed. The king is placed with its identified face exposed, in the conventional location for a king. All other playing pieces have the unidentified face visible, and are moved randomly such that neither player knows which playing piece is in each position (except of course for the king). For its initial move, each playing piece is moved according to its location on the playing board. For example, a playing piece in a pawn position is moved as a pawn, despite its identity. Upon the initial move being completed, the initially concealed face is revealed. From that point, the playing piece will be obliged to have move characteristics of the revealed identity of the second face, rather than moving according to its original position on the board. Game play for each playing piece thereafter is conventional until the conclusion of the chess game.

This situation creates a random element which offsets ability of one player to dominate the game by virtue of greater skill, although obviously, superior skill will matter as the game proceeds. However, the random element better enables lesser players to compete with vastly superior players to the point where meaningful competition is established.

The present invention provides improved elements and arrangements thereof by apparatus for the purposes described which is fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.

This and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various objects, features, and attendant advantages of the present invention will become more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a depiction of a playing board and novel playing pieces in an initial arrangement prior to any of the playing pieces being moved;

FIG. 2 depicts the playing board of FIG. 1, but reflects an opening move by a playing piece;

FIG. 3 depicts the playing board of FIG. 1, but reflects an opening move by the opponent of the player to move first;

FIG. 4 depicts a further stage of play of the playing board of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective detail view of an exemplary playing piece, drawn to enlarged scale; and

FIG. 6 shows the reverse of the playing piece of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring first to FIG. 1, according to at least one aspect of the invention, there is shown a conventional chess board 100 having spaces 102 occupiable by playing pieces 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, 114. As seen in FIG. 1, playing pieces 104, 106, 108, 110, 114 all have a blank face 116 exposed. Playing piece 112 representing the king has an identified face 118 exposed, and is placed in the conventional location for a king. For the initial move of each playing piece 104, 106, 108, 110, or 114, the move has move characteristics of a conventional playing piece (e.g., pawn, rook, knight, bishop, or queen) that would conventionally occupy its space 102. Each playing piece 104, 106, 108, 110, or 114 (see FIG. 4) is moved to a new space 102 as would be conventional. Upon arriving at the new space 102 due to its initial move, the moved playing piece 104, 106, 108, 110, or 114 is manipulated so that the blank face 116 initially exposed is replaced by another face 118. The other face 118 reveals an identity corresponding to one of the conventional types of playing pieces (i.e., pawn (P), rook (R), knight (N), bishop (B), queen (Q), or king (K)). For each move after the initial move, each piece is obliged to move according to conventional moves corresponding to the exposed identity. The modified chess game is then played to a conventional conclusion.

In an actual game, spaces 102 will have conventional alternating colors. These colors are omitted in the Drawings. Similarly, playing pieces 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, 114 will be provided in contrasting colors to signify the two adversarial sides, but are not so shown herein.

FIG. 2 shows board 100 and playing pieces 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, 114 after an exemplary initial move. Notably, upon making a move of a pawn which would conventionally occupy space 102A, playing piece 104 is manipulated to reveal an identity. In the present example, and as shown in enlarged detail in FIGS. 5 and 6, playing pieces 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, 114 may comprise discs having a blank face 116 and another face 118. Playing piece 104 reveals identity of a rook. For the balance of the game, playing piece 104 is limited to moves legal for conventional rooks.

FIG. 3 shows a further exemplary move made by the first player's opponent, wherein a playing piece 106 is moved from its conventional initial position of a pawn, and once again, may only be moved as a conventional pawn. Upon completion of the initial move, playing piece 106 is manipulated to reveal face 118. In the present example, a knight is revealed. For the balance of the game, playing piece 106 is obliged to have move characteristics of a conventional knight.

FIG. 4 shows an exemplary further move made by “white”, the first player to move. In this further move, playing piece 108 is moved from its conventional initial position of a pawn, and is once again constrained to move as a conventional pawn. Upon completion of the move of playing piece 108, blank face 116 is manipulated to reveal face 118. Playing piece 108 is revealed to be a knight, and will for the balance of the game, be obliged to have move characteristics of a conventional knight.

In the illustrated example of FIGS. 1-4, playing pieces 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, 114 may comprise discs each having opposed faces 116 and 118. At the end of the first move, blank face 116 of each playing piece 104, 106, 108, 110, or 114 is concealed by inverting playing piece 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, or 114, thereby exposing face 118. The discs may be appropriately colored (e.g., white and black) to distinguish the opponents' playing pieces 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, 114. Identities (e.g., pawn, rook, knight, bishop, queen, and king) may be signified by indicia, by three dimensional depiction, or in any other suitable way. When setting up playing pieces 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, 114 initially, all playing pieces 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, 114 are to be moved around randomly with blank face 116 revealed so that no player is aware of the identity of any playing piece 104, 106, 108, 110, 114 prior to exposure of its identity after the first move thereof.

In play, each playing piece 104, 106, 108, 110, or 114 lacks defensive power. That is, should a playing piece 104, 106, 108, 110, or 114 of the opponent land on a playing space 102 occupied by a playing piece 104, 106, 108, 110, or 114, the latter shall be deemed captured. In an option, identity of the playing piece 104, 106, 108, 110, 114 captured in this manner may be concealed by the moving player from the player losing the playing piece 104, 106, 108, 110, or 114.

Where a player moves a playing piece 104, 106, 108, 110, or 114 and reveals an identity of a bishop, and that opponent already has revealed one of his or her respective playing pieces 104, 106, 108, 110, or 114 to be a bishop, then the player revealing the identity of the second bishop is given the right either to accept that the newly exposed bishop occupy the same playing space color as the first bishop, or alternatively, to move the newly exposed second bishop to an adjacent playing space 102 of a color different from that occupied by the first identified bishop. If accepting the option to move the second bishop to a space colored oppositely from that of the first bishop, the player may elect to move the second bishop to a space occupied by a playing piece 104, 106, 108, 110, or 114 of the opponent. This would result in “taking” the opponent's piece, which ordinarily be a favorable result.

In an option which should be agreed prior to the start of play, if a player's second exposed bishop is on a playing space 102 of the same color of the same player's first exposed bishop, then the second exposed bishop must be moved to an adjacent playing space 102 of color different from that of the playing space 102 of the first exposed bishop. In a further agreed upon option where the second bishop is compelled to occupy a different colored playing space 102, the player moving the second bishop must select an open or unoccupied playing space 102, or in a further alternative pre-agreed option, may elect to take an opponent's playing piece 104, 106, 108, 110, or 114 occupying the selected differently colored playing space 102.

The invention may be thought of as the method of play described herein, and also as chess apparatus as described herein.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the present invention is not to be limited to the disclosed arrangements, but is intended to cover various arrangements which are included within the spirit and scope of the broadest possible interpretation of the appended claims so as to encompass all modifications and equivalent arrangements which are possible. 

1. A method of playing a game based on conventional game of chess by one or more players, the method comprising: providing apparatus corresponding to the conventional game of chess, the apparatus including playing pieces that are based upon conventional chess game playing pieces, including one or more pawns, bishops, knights, rooks, queens, and kings, wherein each of the playing pieces has a first exposable face corresponding to one of the conventional playing chess pieces and a second exposable face concealing the identity of the respective playing piece, a conventional chessboard having spaces occupiable by said playing pieces; setting up the playing pieces randomly on the conventional chessboard in spaces conventionally occupied by conventional chess playing pieces at the beginning of a conventional game of chess, but with only the second exposable face initially visible to the one or more players, such that each one or more players has no knowledge of the identity of the randomly placed playing pieces; obliging a first move by each playing piece to have move characteristics of a conventional playing piece occupying a space on the chessboard which would actually be occupied by the conventional chess playing piece in the conventional game of chess; exposing the first exposable face of each playing piece after termination of the initial move thereof; and obliging all subsequent moves by each playing piece which has had its first exposable face exposed after the initial move to have move characteristics of the conventional chess playing piece identified by exposure of the first exposable face.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein in the step of setting up the playing pieces on the conventional chessboard randomly in spaces conventionally occupied by playing pieces at the beginning of a conventional game of chess with only the second exposable face initially visible to the one or more players, with the exception that the one or more king playing piece is placed with its first exposable face exposed, such that each one or more players has no knowledge of the identity of the randomly placed playing pieces except for the one or more king piece which is placed in its conventional beginning chess game position with its first exposable face exposed.
 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising a step of capturing pieces in a conventional manner during a conventional game of chess.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein if the captured piece has its second exposable face visible to the one or more players upon its capture, the playing pieces first exposable face remains concealed from the one or more players.
 5. The method of claim 3, wherein if the captured piece has its second exposable face visible to the one or more players upon its capture, the first exposable face is revealed to the one or more players. 6-8. (canceled) 